Surf Cat

Life goes beyond the digits on the scale and your body is capable of so much more. Yahoo’s #Fitspo of the Week series is dedicated to inspirational men and women in Singapore leading healthy and active lifestyles. Have someone to recommend? Hit Cheryl up on Instagram or Facebook.

Name: Camila Ignacia Sepulveda Troncoso aka Mila (@dechilean)

Age: 27

Height: 1.64m

Weight: 54kg

Occupation: Personal Trainer/Actress

Status: Single

Diet: I generally eat a balanced diet, loads of veggies and try to eat as healthy as possible. However sometimes my sweet tooth comes out and I have a cupcake. Everything in moderation, sometimes you need to eat things to keep the soul happy too.

Training: I teach a few times a week at BoOm and that on its own is a workout haha. Outside of work, I do yoga, boxing and weight training; all two to three times a week.

Q: Were you really active as a kid?

A: Yes, I was super active as a kid – volleyball, football, gymnastics, field hockey, cross country, basically anything and everything that got thrown my way. I was in the junior hockey league before moving to Singapore in 2002.

Once I moved here, volleyball and football stayed in my routine, but I also ventured into wakeboarding, surfing and climbing.

So what did you get into later?

I got into boxing in my late teens, but eventually I got consumed by work and my parents’ version of “adulting”.

You’re working as a fitness trainer now, doing personal training, teaching boot camps and also a boxing instructor. How did you get into this line?

Well I hit a wall in the corporate life and wondered why I was doing it. I never liked it but I had a natural act for it. Eventually I decided to leave my job and re-centre myself. I went travelling for three months to South America and realised the times I was happiest was… hugging llamas.

It was also a period when I was most active – trekking, climbing, running. I realised that’s all I loved to do when I was young. When I came back, I began changing my lifestyle and of course, changed my job too.

What do you enjoy about this job?

I like seeing the change in people’s confidence, as they see their bodies change or they meet their goals. They start caring for themselves more, develop “self love”; and it comes across in everything they do throughout their day. It’s a nice change to see from day one till the present.

You can work out several times a day, what motivates you to work out and keep fit?

Yes sometimes I go into a mode and work out a few times a day, however I would do different types of exercise. So it could be yoga and boxing in a day, or boxing and weights. They all add a different element to my health – speed and agility, versus strength, versus control and flexibility. I like that each one pushes me in different manners and there’s always room for improvement.

Motivation sometimes will come from being able to do a yoga pose I wasn’t able to before, or hitting the bag harder and faster, and going up a weight on a deadlift. It could also come from those skinny jeans fitting a little better, or morning abs.

What are your fitness goals now?

My fitness goal is more of a health goal. I have a few medical conditions which have got to me this year, so my fitness goal is honestly keeping healthy all around, not simply chase a six-pack. But I’m also taking care of the inside too, so nutrition has been a big battle for me. It’s hard saying no to truffle fries every day! The end game is being the best I can be at the external, internal and finally mental health.

When did you feel the least confident about yourself?

I was super self-conscious after high school, basically between 17 to 24 years old. I used to eat a lot of junk food, and drink a lot. I was about three pant sizes bigger and my boss would call me “Thunder Thighs”; not exactly to my face, but it was known.

I’m South American so everything I eat will go to my bum. I didn’t realise I had got that big, in comparison to when I was pre-teen.

How did you overcome it and become more confident?

Sadly I went about it the wrong way and developed an eating disorder. I lost weight in the worst possible way, which made my insides hate me. I used to get sick all the time, which also came with anxiety, depression, among others. Then one day I got really sick. I looked and felt like death, and it took me a while to shake that off.

I shifted my focus internally, towards health, and that helped me back on track. It’s taken me years to get it right, from one extreme to the other. It’s hard to find a balance and exactly what works best for your body. Everyone is different.

Are you contented with your body now?

I am happy with my body. There’s always room for improvement but honestly accepting yourself at every stage is important. If I could go back in time, I would start this journey on the right foot.

Do you get any comments about your body?

Not really, or not to my face at least. I know everything I eat still goes to my bum, but hey that’s just how my body works. We need to learn to love it, and not criticise it so much.

A different version of you exists in the minds of everyone you’ve ever met, and everyone will have their own opinions – you need to be happy with you. You can’t control what others think, so just be the best you; that you are happy with.